Shelter having a protective layer

ABSTRACT

A hard walled shelter has first and second substantially parallel corner posts. The hard walled shelter also has an upper frame support extending between first ends of the corner posts and a lower frame support extending between second ends of the corner posts. The hard walled shelter additionally has a moveable wall. The moveable wall has a lower portion hinged at the lower frame support and an upper portion that fits securely on the interior of the corner posts when the moveable wall is in a closed configuration. When the moveable wall is in an open configuration the moveable wall is disposed away from the hard walled shelter to form an opening in the shelter. The hard walled shelter also has a coupling that extends around the perimeter of the opening in the shelter.

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication 61/373,473; filed Aug. 13, 2010.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

The work resulting in this invention was supported in part by the U.S.Army Medical Material Development Agency (USAMMDA) under Contract No.W81XWH-08-C-0060. The U.S. Government therefore has certain rights inthe invention.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

The present application relates to ISO containers, container units orshelters coupled to form an ISO container, and more particularly to ashelter having a protective layer.

2. Related Art

Standard (International Organization for Standardization) shippingcontainers are capable of being formed by using multiple container unitsor modules. Standard ISO shipping containers having three equal sizedmodules are known. Each module is known as a tri-con container. Thethree tri-con containers, when coupled together, have generally the sizeand shape of a standard ISO shipping container. The standard size forsuch containers is about 8 feet tall, 8 feet wide, and 20 feet long. Thetri-con containers may be coupled together by coupling devices thatextend through mating, locking holes on corner posts of the containers.The resulting assembled container may be shipped by commercial means,such as by truck, railway, boat or aircraft, including militaryaircraft. If need be, such a tri-con container may be deployed at aremote location.

Expandable shelters are known which can be inflated at a remote locationfor medical uses, temporary housing, disaster recovery, meeting space,office space or laboratory space. These shelters typically include askin or fabric which may rest on a frame. Such a frame may be formedfrom an air beam structure. Air beam structures typically comprise tubeswhich have a desired size and shape and which are inflated with air toform a relatively rigid structure. Prior to deployment, these sheltersmay be rolled up and stowed in relatively small space.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a hard walledshelter is provided. The hard walled shelter comprises first and secondsubstantially parallel corner posts disposed at a first end of theshelter. The hard walled shelter also comprises an upper frame supportextending between first ends of the corner posts. The hard walledshelter further comprises a lower frame support extending between secondends of the corner posts. The hard walled shelter additionally comprisesa moveable wall having a lower portion hinged at the lower frame supportand an upper portion fitting securely on the interior of the cornerposts when the moveable wall is in a closed configuration in which themoveable wall is displaced between the first and second corner posts,when the moveable wall is in an open configuration the moveable wall isdisposed away from the hard walled shelter to form an opening in theshelter. The hard walled shelter also comprises a coupling configured toextend around the perimeter of the opening in the shelter.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, anexpandable soft wall shelter is provided. The expandable soft wallshelter has an expanded and a collapsed configuration. The expandableshelter is in a collapsed configuration when disposed within a hardwalled shelter. The expandable shelter comprises a coupling configuredto connect the expandable shelter to the hard walled shelter. Theexpandable shelter also comprises a beam structure configured to beinflated to expand the expandable shelter into the expandedconfiguration. The expandable shelter further comprises at least onefabric layer. The expandable shelter additionally comprises at least oneprotective layer. The expandable shelter also comprises a vestibuleconfigured to provide a transition from the hard walled shelter to theexpandable shelter when the expandable shelter is in the expandedconfiguration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In thedrawings, each identical or nearly identical component that isillustrated in various figures is represented by a like descriptor. Forpurposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in everydrawing.

The advantages and features of this invention will be more clearlyappreciated from the following detailed description, when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of three tri-con containers assembledtogether to form an ISO shipping container for transport;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a hard walled shelter tri-con container;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the hard walled shelter containerof FIG. 2 in a partially deployed condition;

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the hard walled shelter containerof FIG. 2 in a partially deployed condition;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the hard walled sheltercontainer of FIG. 4 with a transition ramp;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the transition ramp ofFIG. 5 in an installed condition;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the hard walled shelter container ofFIG. 4 showing the softwalled shelter in an unrolled condition;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one configuration of the softwalledshelters of this invention when attached to the hard walled shelter ofFIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary enlarged detailed view illustrating themechanical tri-con container when connected to the hard walled sheltershown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of another configuration of the shelters ofthis invention when attached to the hard walled shelter of FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary, perspective view showing the connectionbetween the expandable ISO container of FIG. 10 and the hard walledshelter container of FIG. 4;

FIG. 12 is a schematic, plan view of yet another configuration of theshelters of this invention when connected to the hard walled sheltercontainer of FIG. 4;

FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of the hard walled shelter containerof FIG. 4;

FIG. 14 is a schematic, rear perspective view of the hard walled sheltercontainer of FIG. 4 illustrating the mechanism for operating the ramps;

FIG. 15 is a schematic, rear perspective view of the hard walled sheltercontainer of FIG. 14 showing a ramp being raised;

FIG. 16 is a front, cross-sectional view of the mechanisms for operatingthe ramps taken along line 16-16 of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the mechanism for operating theramps taken along the line 17-17 of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a schematic, cross-sectional view taken along the line 18-18of FIG. 9;

FIG. 19 is a partial, cutaway view of the environmental layer and thechemical/biological barrier layer as seen from inside the vestibule; and

FIG. 20 is a partial cutaway view of the chemical/biological barrierlayer in a fully sealed condition as seen from inside the vestibule.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the present invention, typical tri-con containers may be configuredto be used with inflatable shelters. Three such tri-con containers, orcontainer units or modules, may be coupled together for shipping andstorage. In this assembled state, the three tri-con containers have thesize and shape of a typical ISO shipping container, and form a unitarystructure. That is, they have a rectangular shape and a size of about 8feet×8 feet×20 feet.

In one aspect of this invention, one of the tri-con containers includesfour corner posts, and four sidewalls extending between adjacent cornerposts as well as a top wall and a bottom wall. At least one andtypically two of the sidewalls are hinged at their bottom edge whichpermits these sidewalls to be pivoted downwardly to form a ramp.Typically, for two walls that pivot downwardly, they are disposedopposite one another, although they need not be. In one embodiment ofthis aspect, a softwalled, expandable shelter is associated with each ofthese sidewalls. These softwalled, expandable shelters may be strappedto the inside surface of the sidewall, prior to deployment. In anotherembodiment, the shelters, prior to deployment, are nested one above theother when the sidewalls are raised to their vertical position.

In one embodiment, each of the softwalled, expandable shelters includesan air beam structure with a skin or layer of fabric placed thereover. Avestibule or portico is disposed at one end of the shelter. Thevestibule or portico is attachable to a fabric connector surrounding anopening in the tri-con containers formed by lowering the sidewall. Thevestibule or portico may include an attachment device, such as a zipper,which mates with a zipper on the fabric connector to attach thevestibule or portico to the tri-con container. In another embodiment,the softwalled, expandable shelter may include an inner lining, such asan antimicrobial lining, which may also be attached to a layer of suchlining in the fabric connector.

In another aspect, two softwalled, expandable shelters may be providedextending from opposite sides of a tri-con container. The pivotedsidewalls provide a transition from a ground surface to an interior ofthe tri-con container.

In another aspect of the invention, a third side of the tri-concontainer, which is intermediate the first two sides and extendsperpendicular thereto, may also be formed with a ramp and a fabricconnector. Another shelter system, such as an expandable hard walled ISOshelter, or another softwalled, expandable shelter, may be attached tothe tri-con container along the third side. This attachment may besimilar to the attachment of the other softwalled, expandable shelters,such as by using a vestibule or portico and a fabric connectorsurrounding the opening to the tri-con container on the third side.

In yet another aspect of the invention, another tri-con container mayinclude a mechanical module which provides electrical and environmentalsupport for the softwalled, expandable shelters. This second tri-concontainer could include heating and air conditioning systems, airfilters, humidity control, electrical power and a fuel tank for poweringthe electrical generator and the heating and air conditioning systems.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a third tri-con container may beprovided having the same size and shape as the first two tri-concontainers. This third tri-con container may include an additionalmechanical module for servicing the expandable ISO shelter, or a thirdsoftwalled, expandable shelter. In another embodiment, the third tri-concontainer may provide storage for other supplies to be used inconjunction with the softwalled, expandable shelters, or with theexpandable ISO shelter.

In yet another aspect of the invention, the sidewalls on the firsttri-con container may be raised or lowered using a cable and reeldisposed on either side of the sidewall. The reels may be coupled by ashaft such that both reels may be operated in synchronism from a drivemechanism disposed on one side of the tri-con container.

One embodiment of a structure 10 of this invention will now be describedwith respect to FIG. 1. A typical structure 10 comprises three tri-concontainers, modules or units 20, 100 and 200. Units 20, 100 and 200,when joined together in a collapsed or closed condition, form a unitary,standard ISO shipping container having the dimensions of 8 feet high, 8feet wide and 20 feet long. Units 20, 100 and 200, when linked together,may be shipped as a standard ISO shipping container to facilitatetransport and storage. Each of units 20, 100 and 200 has a separatestructure and function, as will be described.

In one aspect, unit 100 may be associated with at least one, andtypically two softwalled, expandable shelters as will now be describedwith particular reference to FIGS. 2-8. Unit 100 includes four sidewalls110, 112, 114 and 116. Unit 100 also may include a top wall 118, and abottom wall 120. Sidewalls 110 and 112 are disposed directly oppositefrom one another, and are generally parallel to one another. Sidewalls110 and 112 typically, although not necessarily, are aligned to faceanother one of units 20 and/or 200 when connected to units 20 and 200 toform structure 10.

Typically, unit 100 includes four corner posts 126. One corner post 126is disposed at the junction of sidewalls 110 and 114, another post 126is disposed at the junction of sidewalls 110 and 116, another post 126is disposed at the junction of sidewalls 112 and 114, and another post126 is disposed at the junction of sidewalls 112 and 116. These cornerposts 126 are standard in such tri-con containers, and typically areformed with a square or rectangular cross-section to provide structuralsupport for unit 100. Each corner post 126 is generally verticallyoriented and extends from just below bottom wall 120 to just above topwall 118. Typically, horizontal structural supports 128 extend betweenthe corner posts 126 both adjacent bottom wall 120, and adjacent topwall 118. Supports 128 and posts 126 are known and may be formed of anymaterial, such as iron or steel or aluminum, which provides thenecessary structural support for unit 100. Typically, structural support128 adjacent bottom wall 120 is indented or spaced inwardly with respectto the outer edge of corner posts 126, providing a discontinuity betweensupport 128 and the outer surface of corner posts 126. Each corner post126 typically has a connection block 130 attached, such as by welding,to its top and bottom ends. Each connection block typically has holes132 to allow a standard container connector (not shown) to be insertedtherein. These connectors permit coupling of adjacent units 20, 100 and200 together. Holes 132 also may be used for interfacing with a crane,forklift or other like mechanism for movement of units 20, 100 and 200from one place to another. Conventional jacks 103 may be provided forleveling of unit 100. Jacks 103 may include pegs 105 that can beinserted into holes 102 in posts 126.

At least one of sidewalls 110 and 112, and typically both of sidewalls110 and 112, are pivotally attached to a lower structural support 128such as by hinges 122. Thus, at least one of sidewalls 110 and 112, andtypically both of sidewalls 110 and 112, may be pivoted downwardly abouthinges 122 to form a ramp as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In so doing, accessto the interior of unit 100 is permitted through the opening 124 whichresults.

Associated with at least one of sidewalls 110 and 112, and typicallyboth sidewalls 110 and 112, may be a softwalled, expandable shelter. Inone embodiment, a first expandable shelter 140 is associated withsidewall 110, and a second expandable shelter 142 is associated withsidewall 112. Prior to deployment, each shelter 140 and 142 is foldedand may be strapped or otherwise attached to associated sidewall 110 and112, respectively. Straps 144 may be used to hold the folded shelters140 and 142 in place on respective sidewalls 110 and 112. It should beappreciated that other known devices may be used in place of straps 144to secure shelters 140 and 142 to walls 110 and 112. Other examplesinclude ropes, wire, hook and loop fasteners, snaps and the like.Typically, although not necessarily, first shelter 140 may be attachedat an upper end of sidewall 110 and second shelter 142 may be attachedat a lower end of sidewall 112, so that shelter 140 is nested aboveshelter 142 when sidewalls 110 and 112 are pivoted into a closed orupright position. In this way, two relatively large, folded shelters maybe accommodated in one unit 100.

As shown in FIG. 18, each of first and second expandable shelters 140and 142 may be a conventional softwalled shelter comprising a beamstructure 146 comprising air beams 148 over which a skin orenvironmental fabric layer 150 extends. The interior of shelters 140 and142 also may include a chemical/biological barrier layer 152. Shelters140 and 142 each typically include a transition vestibule 154 at one end(FIGS. 9 and 10). Vestibule 154 provides a transition from shelters 140and 142 into the interior of unit 100. Vestibule 154 may include anopening 156 having an attachment device 158 extending around itsperimeter for layer 150. This attachment device 158 may be a zipper,Velcro or any other conventional attachment device. Similarly, ifshelters 140 and 142 include a chemical/biological barrier layer 152,layer 152 may include an attachment device 162 for just layer 152.

In another aspect of the invention, opening 124 includes around itsperimeter a coupling, such as a fabric clamp 168 containing at least onestrip of an environmental fabric layer 164. There may also be a secondstrip of a chemical/biological barrier layer 166 in fabric clamp 168(FIG. 19). The strips of layers 164 and 166 may be clamped together byclamp 168 along one edge. The opposite edges of strips of layers 164 and166 are provided with respective attachment devices 157 and 161, such asa zipper, Velcro or the like which are designed to mate with associated,corresponding couplings, such as attachment devices 158 and 162 ofvestibules 154 of shelters 140 and 142. In this way, once sidewalls 110and 112 are pivoted downwardly to form a ramp, shelters 140 and 142 maybe deployed and then subsequently coupled to unit 100 at openings 124.Strips of layer 164 are attached to layer 150 in shelters 140 and 142,by attachment devices 157 and 158, and strips of layer 166 are attachedto layer 152 in shelters 140 and 142 by attachment devices 161 and 162to form a sealed connection between unit 100 and vestibules 154 ofshelters 140 and 142. A slidable sleeve 167 may be slid over theattachment device to cover the attachment device, such as a zipper, usedto attach layer 166 to layer 152 to provide a tighter seal about theattachment device.

In use, once it is decided to deploy shelters 140 and 142, sidewalls 110and 112 are opened and pivoted downwardly to form ramps. Shelters 140and 142 may then be removed from walls 110 and 112, respectively, byreleasing straps 144. Shelters 140 and 142 may then be extended as shownin FIG. 7. Shelters 140 and 142 may then be expanded or inflated in aconventional way by first inflating the beam structure 146 and thenanchoring the shelter to the ground in a manner well-known to those ofordinary skill in the art. Shelters 140 and 142 are attached torespective openings 124 of unit 100 as discussed above. When it isdesired to deploy unit 100 elsewhere, air beam structure 146 may bedeflated, and shelters 140 and 142 may then be rolled up and reattachedto respective sidewalls 110 and 112 by straps 144. Thereafter, sidewalls110 and 112 may be pivoted upwardly into a vertical position and locked.

In another aspect of the invention, sidewall 114 may include two doors70 and 72 mounted on vertical hinges 74 on corner posts 126. Insidedoors 70 and 72 may be a ramp 76 attached by hinges 170 to lowerstructural support 128 to permit ramp 76 to be pivoted from an uprightor closed position to a downward position to expose opening 178. Acoupling, such as fabric clamp 172, is similar to fabric clamp 168 andmay extend around the perimeter of opening 178 in a manner similar tothat of opening 124. Fabric clamp 172 may include first and secondfabric layers affixed along one edge (not shown) similar to fabric clamp168. Like fabric clamp 168, exposed, opposite edges of the fabric layersmay include respective attachment devices (not shown), which may bezippers, Velcro strips or the like. These attachment devices aresuitable for coupling with comparable attachment devices on anotherstructure. Ramp 76 may include side ramp extenders 175 mounted on hinges177. Once ramp 76 is pivoted downwardly, extenders 175 may be pivotedoutwardly about hinges 177 to provide a wider ramp, if needed, tofacilitate mating with another shelter.

One example of another shelter which may be affixed to opening 178 ofunit 100, as shown in FIG. 10, is an expandable shelter 300, such as ahard walled shelter that expands from a collapsed shape having roughlythe shape of a standard ISO container, to one which is approximately 3times the size of an ISO container. An example of such a shelter 300 isdescribed in U.S. application Ser. No. 61/358,120 filed Jun. 24, 2010,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Shelter 300may have a portico 302 or other like transition portion, which isattached to a vestibule 304 which in turn is attached to fabric clamp172. Portico 302 and vestibule 304 each may include achemical/biological layer and an environmental layer (not shown) withattachment devices (not shown) which mate with attachment devices oneach other and on fabric clamp 172. In this way, another structure, suchas shelter 300, may be attached to unit 100 allowing access to and fromeach of these shelters 300, 140 and 142 through unit 100.

It should be understood that shelter 300 need not be a one to threeexpandable ISO shelter, but could be any other suitable shelter that maybe attachable to unit 100. For example, shelter 300 may be anon-expandable ISO container or a softwalled expandable shelter whichhas been suitably equipped for its desired use.

FIGS. 8, 10 and 12 illustrate three possible configurations. It shouldbe understood, that FIGS. 8, 10 and 12 are not exhaustive, and otherconfigurations are possible. In FIG. 8, shelters 140 and 142 are shownextending from opposite sides of unit 100 at associated sidewalls 110and 112 respectively. FIG. 8 illustrates another softwalled shelter 141which may be similar or identical to shelters 140 and 142 and which isshown attached to unit 100 at ramp 76 and opening 178 by means ofvestibule 143.

With reference now to FIG. 10, in another possible configuration,shelters 140 and 142 are shown attached to opposite sides of unit 100 asin FIG. 8. Instead of another softwalled shelter 141 as shown in FIG. 8,shelter 300 may be attached, as previously described, at ramp 76 andopening 178 of unit 100 utilizing portico 302 and vestibule 304.

In another possible configuration, as shown in FIG. 12, shelter 140 maybe attached to unit 100 at opening 124 and sidewall 110, as described inFIG. 8. However, instead of shelter 142 being attached at opening 124and sidewall 112, shelter 300 may be attached at sidewall 112. Shelter300 is attached to unit 100 by means of portico 302 and vestibule 304 insubstantially the same fashion as shown in FIG. 10. A softwalled sheltersuch as shelter 140 may be attached to unit 100 at ramp 76 and opening178 in substantially the same fashion as shelter 140 is attached to unit100 at opening 124 and sidewall 110. In this way, any desiredconfiguration can be achieved depending on the needs and requirements ofthe user. It should be understood that there are other possibleconfigurations, such as using only a single softwalled shelter, or nosoftwalled shelters, and instead employing multiple expandable hardwalled shelters like shelter 300.

Another aspect of the invention, as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 11, relatesto use of a hard walled shelter, such as expandable shelter 300 inconjunction with unit 100. A transition may be required between shelter300 and unit 100 that will support portico 302 and vestibule 304 and theweight of cargo or humans. In one embodiment, shelter 300 includes aramp 350 which may be pivoted downwardly to a substantially horizontalposition. Ramp 350, in one embodiment, may form an endwall of shelter300 when it is in a raised position. Ramp 350 may pivot about hinges 352and be supported by cable 354. An end 356 of ramp 350 typically issupported by conventional jacks 358 having a ratchet mechanism. Ramp 350is configured to support portico 302, Ramp 76, as shown in FIG. 11, mayalso be supported at its free end by jacks 360, which may besubstantially identical to jacks 358 and may include a ratchetmechanism. Using jacks 358 and 360, ramps 76 and 350 may be positionedto be at the same level to provide a smooth transition from unit 100 toshelter 300.

To facilitate a transition between ramp 76 and ramp 350, it may bedesirable to utilize a transition ramp 362. One example of transitionramp 362 is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Ramp 362 is substantially identicalto the transition ramp described in U.S. application Ser. No. 61/358,120filed Jun. 24, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, ramp 362 typically includes aplurality of fingers 364 which are pivotally mounted to a plate 365 byhinges. In one embodiment, plate 365 may include a hinge 374 at itsmiddle to allow folding of ramp 362 when not in use. Fingers 364typically are permitted to pivot upwardly or downwardly within a limitedrange, but are sufficiently rigid to accommodate a relatively heavyweight or load. Plate 365 may include at each end a bracket 376 with ahole 373. Typically, ramp 362 may be mounted onto the end of ramp 350 asshown in FIGS. 5 and 6. When mounted, bracket 376 sits on top of plate370 so that a hole 372 in plate 370 is aligned with hole 373 in bracket376. Pin 366 may be inserted through the aligned holes and held in placewith a locking sleeve 368. Transition ramp 362 may provide a transitionbetween ramp 350 and ramp 76, as shown in FIG. 11. Ramp 362 may alsoprovide a transition between ramp 350 and an underlying ground surface,as shown in FIG. 6.

As seen in FIG. 4, sidewall 116 may include two doors 117 which areaffixed by vertical hinges 119 to posts 126. Inside doors 117 may be apanel 21 that may include power ports 186 and ports 184 used for variouspurposes that include, but are not limited to supplying control cables,supplying water, removing waste, and supplying medical gases. Power maybe provided to lights 185 by means of power ports 186. Sidewall 116 alsomay include two drive mechanisms 188 for raising and lowering sidewalls110 and 112, as discussed below.

At least one of walls 110 and 112, and, in one embodiment, each of walls110 and 112, may be raised or lowered using a drive mechanism 188, asshown in FIGS. 14, 15, 16 and 17. Sidewall 112 is shown being lowered inFIG. 14 utilizing socket 386, and is shown being raised in FIG. 15,utilizing socket 385. The drive mechanism 188 used to raise and lowersidewall 110 is substantially identical to that used to raise and lowersidewall 112 and this drive mechanism will be described only withrespect to sidewall 112.

Cables 195 and 196 may be disposed on opposite sides of each wall 110and 112. Each of cables 195 and 196 may be anchored at anchor 197 and198, respectively, each of which typically is disposed on an associatedcorner post 126. Associated with another end of each of cables 195 and196 is a spool 193 and 194, respectively, onto which respective cables195 and 196 may be wound after passing over respective pulleys 201 and203 on associated corner posts 126. Spools 193 and 194 may be mounted ona shaft 192 that spans the width of unit 100. In this manner, spools 193and 194 may be rotated in synchronism to allow wall 110 or 112 to beraised evenly on each side by raising each side at the same rate and thesame distance. Cables 195 and 196 may pass over pulleys 199 disposed onwalls 110 and 112.

Drive mechanism 188 may be coupled to shaft 192. Typically, a separate,nearly identical drive mechanism 188 is associated with each ofsidewalls 110 and 112. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, with reference tosidewall 112, mechanism 188 may be coupled to a right angle drive 380 bya chain 381. Right angle drive 380 may be coupled to a shaft 382 whichrotates in response to mechanism 188. Shaft 382 may be connected to atorque limiter (for example 58 pounds) 383 which then may pass through agear reducer 384 which may then be coupled to shaft 192 for rotation ofspools 193 and 194. It is understood that the foregoing drive train issubstantially identical for sidewall 110.

Each mechanism 188 will now be described with particular reference toFIGS. 16 and 17. Two separate sockets may be provided, a first up socket385 for raising a sidewall 110 or 112, and a second down socket 386 forlowering a sidewall 110 or 112. In one embodiment, socket 385 provides agreater mechanical advantage than socket 386. Either socket may be usedin conjunction with a rotating device such as a handle 191 for manualoperation, or either socket may be used in conjunction with a motordriven drill or the like (not shown), which includes a drill bitsuitable for mating with sockets 385 and 386. Socket 385 may be coupledto a spur gear 389 which, in one embodiment, has 60 teeth. Spur gear 389may drive spur gear 388, which in one embodiment, may have 16 teeth.Socket 386 is directly coupled to spur gear 388. Spur gear 388, in turn,may be coupled to a shaft 390, which is directly coupled to a sprocket387 which drives chain 381. In this embodiment, when socket 385 is usedto raise a sidewall 110 or 112, approximately a 4 to 1 ratio resultsfrom the interaction of spur gear 389 with spur gear 388 which allowssidewall 110 or 112 to be raised slowly with a relatively largemechanical advantage. However, when door 110 or 112 is lowered, socket386 is used and because socket 386 is directly coupled to gear 388,sidewall 110 or 112 may be lowered under its own weight at a much morerapid pace than when sidewall 110 or 112 was raised. In this embodiment,spur gear 389 is allowed to free-wheel when sidewall 110 or 112 islowered.

Units 20 and 200 may have multiple applications. For example, unit 20may be a mechanical module which provides electrical and environmentalsupport for unit 100 and/or shelters 140 and 142 and/or shelter 300. Oneexample is shown in FIG. 9. Like unit 100, unit 20 may include fourcorner posts 22 which are interconnected by horizontal supports 28. Unit20 may also include a top wall 24 and a bottom wall 26. Connectionblocks 30 may be disposed at the top and bottom of posts 22. Theseblocks may include holes 32 for use with connectors (not shown) tocouple units 20, 100 and 200 together, or to allow unit 20 to be hoistedor moved by a crane or the like. Unit 20 also may include sidewalls 36,38, 40 and 42. In one embodiment, walls 36 may be formed as doors 36 aand 36 b. Doors 36 a and 36 b, typically are mounted on adjacent posts22, such as by hinges 37, allowing them to be pivoted into an openposition or into a closed position. Doors 36 a and 36 b allow access tothe interior of unit 20 for servicing, storage and the like.

When unit 20 includes electrical and environmental support for unit 100and/or shelters 140 and 142, unit 20 may include a heating and airconditioning system 48 and a power unit 50. In one embodiment, theheating and air conditioning system 48 is suitable for providingenvironmental support for shelters 140 and 142, has a cooling capacityof about 10 tons and has a heating capacity of about 22 kilowatts.Filter beds may be included, along with a humidity control and aswitchable fresh air source. Unit 50, in one example, can be a40-kilowatt on-board generator. Duct interfaces 54 may be provided alongsidewall 40 at opening 46. Duct interfaces may be connected to ducts inshelters 140 and 142 such as by duct work 58 to provide air flow to andfrom shelters 140 and 142. Power unit 50 may be coupled to a powerconnection 56 which in turn can be coupled to power connector 186 onunit 100 and to shelters 140 and 142 by wires 59. A fuel tank (notshown) may be included for providing fuel to the power unit 50. Oneexample is a 80-gallon fuel tank for any suitable fuel, such as dieselor jet fuel. Cooling fans 62 may also be provided for ventilation ofunit 20. These fans typically are provided in openings in top wall 24.

Unit 200 has the same conventional tri-con structure as units 20 and100. Unit 200 may be used in one of several different ways. In oneembodiment, unit 200 serves as a storage facility for containing gearused in conjunction with shelters 140, 142 or shelter 300. In anotherembodiment, when structure 10 is used in conjunction with a shelter 300,unit 200 may contain apparatus that provides the heating and airconditioning support and electrical power support for shelter 300. Asshown in FIGS. 10 and 12, for example, unit 200 may be coupled toshelter 300 by duct work 202 for heating and air conditioning support,and by cables 204 for supplying electrical power to shelter 300. In allother significant respects, when unit 200 provides mechanical andelectrical power support for shelter 300, it is substantially identicalto unit 20, and will not be further described.

In another aspect, certain conventional handling devices used to movetri-cons or ISO containers from one place to another grip the containerat the bottom end of post 126 utilizing holes 132 in connection blocks130. An example is the U.S. Military Future Medium Tactical Vehicle withLoad Handling Systems (FMTV-LHS). These mechanized devices typicallyhave arms that ride along lower structural supports 128 until arrivingat connection block 130. Conventional tri-con structures, as presentlybuilt, may not be manipulated by these devices, because the device hangsup at the intersection of surface 250 along structural support 128 and asurface on post 126 which is disposed at right angles to surface 250.This problem may be solved with respect to each of units 20, 100 and 200by the provision of an adaptor 254 which extends from surface 250 tosurface 256, the outside facing surface of post 126. The outer surfaceof adaptor 254 may be generally flush with the outer surface 256 suchthat there is a smooth transition from surface to surface. Similarly,the outer surface of adapter 254 transitions smoothly to the outersurface 250 on support 128. As a result, the handling device (not shown)can ride along surface 250 and then along the outer surface of adapter254 and onto surface 256 where it can extend into a hole 132 onconnection block 130. The lifting device may be spring-loaded or biasedinwardly toward support 128 to facilitate this movement.

It should be appreciated that various embodiments may be formed with oneor more of the above-described features. The above aspects and featuresmay be employed in any suitable combination as the present invention isnot limited in this respect. It should also be appreciated that thedrawings illustrate various components and features which may beincorporated into various embodiments. For simplification, some of thedrawings may illustrate more than one optional feature of the feature orcomponent. However, the invention is not limited to the specificembodiments disclosed in the drawings. It should be recognized that theinvention encompasses embodiments which may include only a portion ofthe components illustrated in any one drawing figure, and/or may alsoencompass embodiments combining components illustrated in multipledifferent drawing figures.

It should be understood that the foregoing description of variousembodiments is intended merely to be illustrative thereof and that otherembodiments, modifications, and equivalents are within the scope of theinvention recited in the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hard walled shelter comprising: first andsecond substantially parallel corner posts disposed at a first end ofthe shelter; an upper frame support extending between first ends of thecorner posts; a lower frame support extending between second ends of thecorner posts; a moveable wall having a lower portion hinged at the lowerframe support and an upper portion fitting securely on the interior ofthe corner posts when the moveable wall is in a closed configuration inwhich the moveable wall is displaced between the first and second cornerposts, when the moveable wall is in an open configuration the moveablewall is disposed away from the hard walled shelter to form an opening inthe shelter; and a coupling configured to extend around the perimeter ofthe opening in the shelter.
 2. The hard walled shelter of claim 1,wherein an expandable shelter is connected to the hard walled shelter byusing the coupling, the expandable shelter is configured to expand whenthe moveable wall is in the open configuration.
 3. The hard walledshelter of claim 2, wherein the expandable shelter comprises at leastone protective layer.
 4. The hard walled shelter of claim 3, wherein atleast one protective layer is a nuclear, biological and chemical layer.5. The hard walled shelter of claim 3, wherein at least one protectivelayer is a environmental layer.
 6. The hard walled shelter of claim 1,further comprising a vestibule configured to attach to the hard walledshelter to provide a transition from the hard walled shelter to anothershelter.
 7. The hard walled shelter of claim 6, wherein the vestibulehas a fabric clamp that is configured to interact with the coupling toconnect the vestibule to the container.
 8. The hard walled shelter ofclaim 6, wherein the vestibule is configured to provide a sealedconnection between the hard walled shelter and another shelter.
 9. Thehard walled shelter of claim 6, wherein the vestibule comprises at leastone protective layer that includes a nuclear, biological and chemicallayer and an environmental layer.
 10. An expandable soft wall shelterhaving an expanded and a collapsed configuration, the expandable shelterbeing in a collapsed configuration when disposed within a hard walledshelter, comprising: a coupling configured to connect the expandableshelter to the hard walled shelter; a beam structure configured to beinflated to expand the expandable shelter into the expandedconfiguration; at least one fabric layer; at least one protective layer;and a vestibule configured to provide a transition from the hard walledshelter to the expandable shelter when the expandable shelter is in theexpanded configuration.
 11. The expandable shelter of claim 10, whereinthe at least one protective layer is a nuclear, biological and chemicallayer.
 12. The expandable shelter of claim 11, wherein the at least oneprotective layer is an environmental layer.
 13. The expandable shelterof claim 10, wherein the at least one protective layer is attached tothe container by the coupling.
 14. The expandable shelter of claim 10,wherein the protective layer is disposed on the interior of theexpandable shelter.
 15. The expandable shelter of claim 10, wherein thecoupling is a fabric clamp of the vestibule.